CHILLED BEEF

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 June 1938, Page 3

CHILLED BEEF

DOMINION TRADE. SATISFACTORY EXPANSION. PALMERSTON N„ June 3. “I am glad to say that our chilled meat trade is expanding satisfactorily along .practical lines,” said Mr T. A. Duncan, chairman of the New Zealand Meat Board, in an address read to the annual conference of sheepbreeders at Massey Agricultural College last night. Because of illness Mr Duncan was unable to give his address personally. His paper stressed the importance of further improving the quality of cattle beef, and he saw no reason why New Zealand should not reach the high standard of the Argentine product. So far as handling the product was concerned, Mr Duncan expressed the hope that in the specialised trade between producer and consumer all weak links would be removed.

“Though there are many improvements in breeding, feeding and transport which can still be effected, the chilled meat trade has already in the main achieved its object in the general rise in our cattle value to a much more remunerative level,” the address continued. “The quality of the beef shipped is not yet up to the standard it is possible to attain, but the quantity of the older rougher bullocks has been very much reduced, and now that the board has instituted a stricter system of grading, combined with an increase in the supply of younger cattle, I feel confident that the popularity of our chilled beef on the English market will continue to expand. “Here I would like again to stress to our farmers the importance of further improving the quality of the beef cattle they are breeding. I k,now a lot has been done already by a number of breeders in this direction, but this is now such an important part of our meat trade that I feel I cannot stress it too often.

“Given improved breeding of a short-legged, thick-fleshed type, and provided the cattle are well finished on soft country such as top-dressed pasture where the land is not rich enough without top-dressing, this together with more regular monthly supplies will greatly assist in getting our trade more securely established in the future, and incidentally should have the effect of increasing our supplies of cattle which are so necessary for the improvement of our hillcountry pastures. “I would like again to emphasise the importance of farmers wintering particularly well their cattle that are intended for slaughter' in the following season,, as this enables them to.' be fattened earlier and spread more evenly over the season. The object should be to avoid the rush of chillers usually available during the peak months, from the middle of March to the middle of May. Though there will always be more fat cattle available during this period,' it is almost impossible for shipping companies to cope with an abnormal rush as the chilling accommodation on each vessel is limited, beside which the trade in London requires a steady flow and not abnormal quantities in any one short period. Another important point is that chilled beef always maintains a more regular price during the cooler months in England, and heavier carcases are wanted.”